Batman: Bane of Existence
by StevenM
Summary: Still mourning the loss of Rachael Dawes, Bruce Wayne attempts to move on with his life. However, a new evil has come to Gotham, more powerful than anything he has ever experienced. He must push aside his internal pain to battle his new advesary, Bane.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Batman. I am simply using them to write a little story. It's harmless ... really.**

Writer's Note: This takes place after The Dark Knight. There are spoilers in this story.

**Batman: Bane of Existence**

_**Thirty Years Ago**_

_The right cross is solid and the child is knocked off his feet. He slides across the hard gravel, rocks and debris slicing up his face._

_"How many times do I have to tell you boy?!" The maniacal father looms over his son. "How many?!"_

_The young boy coddles his lip as bloods flows freely through his fingers._

_"I am sorry padre. I didn't know."_

_A meaty hand clasps tightly around the boy's throat, yanking him from the ground. He is thrown into a nearby wall, breaking his arm on impact. The boy crashes back down to the ground, nursing the now broken bone. He weeps upon the dirt and rocks below him. His tears prevent him from seeing the large man approaching._

_"You disgust me!" growled the father, "You are pathetic, just like your mother!"_

_The boy continues to cry, pain pulsing through his body._

_"I didn't know! Please don't hurt me!" he sobbed._

_"You ruined my drink and say you didn't know!"_

_The father lifts his son from the ground again, dangling him high in the air. Two hands clasps tightly around the child's throat and begin to squeeze, choking the life out of him._

_"Padre ..." the boy struggles to break his father's vice-grip, choking heavily. "... please."_

_"You deluded my drink! It's RUINED!"_

_"I knocked over the bottle ... it was an accident. I tried to refill it with water ... I thought you wouldn't know." replied the boy, resisting his father's choke hold in futility._

_Death consuming over him, the boy realizes he must make a choice. And at that moment, a darkness takes control. His hand slides into his pocket, like a snake slithering into its burrow. Meanwhile, his father continues to choke him._

_"You are stupid and weak!" spat the father, "And now I am going to kill you like I did your bitch of a mother!"_

_Suddenly, the father flinches and his eyes go wide. He quickly releases his hold of the boy, allowing him to drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The boy hits the ground hard but looks up quickly to see his father thrashing about, digging at his throat. The boy focuses in to see the sharp knife, which he had taken from his pocket, wedged deep within his father's larynx. The father continues to thrash around, stumbling over himself, trying desperately to remove the sharp knife. Blood spews from the wound, splattering about. The boy watches on, his eyes narrowing in anger._

_"You will hurt me no more, father." he growled, "and now you will pay for the death of me madre."_

_Despite his fatal predicament, the father hears his son's words. They cut into brain like fire and leave mortal burns, as they are the last words he ever hears. The father falls to his knees, his eyes beginning to mist over. Blood dribbles down his lips mixing with the open wound in his neck. It is at that moment, the father realizes he is about to die. The father and son lock eyes for the last time, and their roles are reversed. The father becomes the victim and the son the tyrant. Evil takes a new form as the father falls face first to the ground. He gurgles his last breath and then dies._

_The boy rises from the ground, wincing as he holds onto his broken arm. He approaches __his father's body, staring ominously at the corpse. He smiles wickedly. Vengeance had been served._

_"You were the bane of my existence, father." hissed the boy, "Now; I am the bane of life's existence."_

_Sirens are heard in the background but the boy gives them no heed. He welcomes the authorities with open arms, for no imprisonment compared to that of his father's care._

_So now ... the learning process was about to begin. His father had called his stupid and weak. The boy's mission now was to remedy that. He would learn the ways of the criminal, the ways of evil._

**_Now_**

_A man stands at the massive window of his penthouse, watching as the heavy rain pelts against the glass apertures. With a hand pressed against the skylight, he observes the darkness in his wake. The midnight storm falls upon Gotham City with unthinkable ferocity, keeping its citizens, good and evil alike, at bay. No one dared to enter the night streets in such a heavy downpour; not even Batman. Only in a chaotic thunderstorm such as this was Gotham City truly at peace._

_Lightning cuts across the sky and for a split second illuminates the shadows of Gotham. Bruce Wayne lowers his hand from the glass window, tugging down on the front of his silk shirt. His mind is restless and his heart is heavy. He feels restless, trapped within himself, making him want to scream._

_Suddenly, a voice calls out to him._

_"Master Bruce."_

_He turns from the windows, acknowledging the presence of his butler, Alfred Pennyworth._

_"Hello Alfred." replied Bruce, an edge in his voice._

_"Shouldn't you be resting, sir?" asked Alfred, resting a tray on the nearby night stand._

_Bruce smiles weakly, believing the question to be rhetorical._

_"How many times do I have to remind you that bats are nocturnal Alfred?"_

_"About as many times as I have to remind you that Bruce Wayne isn't, sir." Alfred takes up a glass of water from the tray and hands it to Bruce with a smile. "Besides, I doubt much crime is taking place in weather like this."_

_Bruce smile fades as he catches a glint of lightning in the corner of his eye._

_"You'd be surprised Alfred." He takes a heavy swallow of water and gulps. "You'd be surprised."_

_A tremendous thunderclap echoes about the penthouse bedroom. Neither man seems to notice._

_"Not in this day in age, Master Bruce. I don't get surprised anymore."_

_Bruce looks up at his butler with a raised eyebrow._

_"Really? And here I thought I caught you off guard every now and then."_

_The butler allows a soft grin._

_"Well, you are a strange one, sir." he joked. "But I've come to expect the unexpected from someone who dresses up like a bat."_

_Bruce wants to chuckle at this, but he can't. His heart's pain keeps the happiness inside him prisoner._

_"I agree with that Alfred. I'm anything but normal."_

_"Define normal sir." replied Alfred with a shrug, "no one can."_

_Bruce sighs before finishing off the glass of water. He sets it back on the night stand and turns back to the window, the storm starting to die down._

_"I miss her Alfred. Now more than ever."_

_"I know sir. But you shouldn't mourn her. Rachael is in a better place."_

_"That's not much of a stretch. Any place is better than Gotham."_

_"Oh I don't know about that, Master Bruce. Batman does a pretty damn good job keeping the citizens of Gotham safe."_

_Bruce lowers his head in sadness._

_"Tell that to Rachael." he sighed, "Tell that to Harvey Dent."_

_"No need sir. They already know." replied Alfred evenly._

_Bruce glances over his shoulder, his features stoic._

_"Stop trying to cheer me up, Alfred."_

_"Of course, sir." Alfred takes up the empty glass, placing it on the tray. "Cheering up is an inside job, Master Bruce. In that respect, you are on your own. But I am here if you need me."_

_Alfred moves for the door but Bruce calls out to him before he can leave._

_"Do you really think Rachael is in a better place, Alfred?"_

_The butler nods firmly._

_"I do, which is why you shouldn't mourn her." he said, "Please sir, try to get some rest."_

_Bruce turns back to the window as the storm continues to fade. He shakes his head sadly._

_"I can't Alfred. The storm is dying down and Batman is needed."_

**_To Be Continued ..._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_The cheers of hundreds echo about the shabby amphitheatre of Santa Prisca. The crowd is unruly as they are thugs, goons, thieves and deviants; searching for something they will never find ... solace from their pitiful lives. They cheer and holler, throwing popcorn and whiskey about, basking in the vile act taking place. Meanwhile, located at the center of the ring, two pit-bulls tear into each other, both fighting for their lives. Tooth pierces skin and yelps are heard in response. Canine blood squirts about the arena but the dogs continue to fight._

_Meanwhile, in the back of the amphitheatre, shrouded in darkness, a large man waits. A heavy door opens, and four thugs, all wielding semi-automatic weapons, enter. They are cautious, tossing glances left and right, making certain there is no danger. The large man remains in the shadows, observing the armed goons._

_"The coast is clear." said one of the armed men, "let the boss know."_

_Another thug nods, motioning for their leader to enter. The large man watches as the goons open the main door further, allowing a tall, well dressed, Spanish man to enter. He is well kempt, his hair slicked back, with a neatly trimmed mustache and beard. His suit is quite expensive and his dress shoes shine. He represents his rich status extremely well._

_The man in the shadows finally speaks._

_"You're late."_

_The rich man seems not to hear the larger man speak. The aristocrat looks about the room, his nose stuck up high in the air. He appears repulsed._

_"I loathe places such as this. So barbaric."_

_"It isn't polite to leave one waiting." stated the dark man matter-of-factly._

_"My apologies." replied the aristocrat. "I was held up."_

_The large man continues to speak from the shadows. He hasn't moved an inch since the arrival of the rich man and his thugs._

_"You have the money?"_

_"Of course." replied the aristocrat, tugging down on the front of his suit. "I assume you have the product ready for shipment."_

_"The Venom is ready as ordered. However, there has been a change of plans."_

_The rich man raises an eyebrow in curiosity. He doesn't like the sound of the dark man's statement._

_"What do you mean a change of plans?"_

_"I will sell you the product. However, you will not be disturbing it within Santa Prisca. You will take it to America."_

_The aristocrat chuckles in response._

_"You dare presume to tell me what I can or cannot do with the drugs I have purchased? After I pay for them, they are mine to do with as I wish!"_

_"No. I'm afraid not. No longer will you plague my country with your two-bit criminal syndicate. Your petty acts of crime will do better elsewhere. Santa Prisca doesn't need any more monsters."_

_The aristocrat chuckles again, but this time motions to his thugs to level their weapons._

_"I am Senor Pedro De La Vega the Third, kingpin of Santa Prisca and its surrounding islands. You sir, are merely a drug dealer hyped up on his own product." laughed the aristocrat._

_"Be that as it may, when it comes to top notch drugs, I'm the only game in town, which is why you deal with me personally, Senor De La Vega." growled the man in the shadows._

_"What can I say? When it comes to quality, your drug is the best. Meeting with you personally is a strange request, but one I'm willing to grant in order to maintain good business savvy and of course ... profit. It's what a kingpin does to maintain the business."_

_The large man laughs within the shadows._

_"Your self proclaimed "nobility" isn't going to change the fact you're going to America, Senor."_

_De La Vega laughs yet again, this time more sinister than before. His thugs begin to get restless._

_"You are a hypocrite, Mister Bane. I am merely purchasing the drugs you produce, distributing it as I see fit. It is your fault Santa Prisca is entrenched in Venom." hissed De La Vega. "So who is the real monster? The buyer or the seller?"_

_"You know De La Vega, there is a rule that most intelligent people follow. It goes ... 'Hurt your enemies, not those closest to you'." growled Bane. "You are killing your countrymen."_

_"I go by my own rules, Mister Bane. Survival of the fittest." laughed De La Vega. "You pretend to be a patriot but you are merely a drug dealer disguised in a luchadore mask."_

_"The mask serves a purpose." replied Bane, still shrouded deep within the darkness._

_"Oh really? And what is that? Other than making you seem like a complete psychopath?"_

_"It keeps my identity safe, for when I do things such as this!"_

_Suddenly, Bane springs from the shadows, his massive form revealed in the light. Frightened, De La Vega stumbles backwards, watching in horror as Bane tears his men apart. A ferocious punch connects with jaw, and a resounding crack echoes about the back of the amphitheatre. Meanwhile, the dogs continue to do battle in the front._

_Bane scoops up the dead thug and launches the body across the room, smashing into the nearest goon. The remaining thugs let loose their guns. The backroom is peppered with bullets, all aimed at Bane, but not a single shot lands home. Bane is as fast as he is large. He sweeps into the shadows, disappears for a moment, and then springs upon the next thug, crushing his skull. Gore splatters about the backroom and still the dog fighting continues on in the front._

_"SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!" cried De La Vega in a mixture of anger and fright._

_No such luck. The remaining thug wasn't fast enough. He had emptied his gun clip and was forced to reload, which gave Bane amble time to close in on the unskilled lackey. A boot smashes across the thugs jaw, breaking it from the skull. He stumbles to the floor in a clump, bleeding freely from his detached jawbone. Bane looms over his newest victim, panting heavily. His muscles pulse and flex in rapid succession, as he observes his latest kill._

_Meanwhile, De La Vega scoots toward the door, hoping to get away. However, with his back still turned, Bane calls out to the frightened aristocrat._

_"Going somewhere, De La Vega?"_

_Bane turns about, to reveal a distribution pump connected to his chest. De La Vega's jaw drops. The pump was feeding Bane's body unheard levels of the drug Venom, making his faster and stronger than any other man alive. It was a wonder Bane was able to handle that much drug at one time and not die of a heart attack._

_"Wha ... what do you want from me?" cried De La Vega, "I'll do whatever you wish. Just don't hurt me!"_

_"Good. Now we are seeing eye to eye." growled Bane._

_De La Vega can't help but find the irony in Bane's statement. De La Vega had never seen Bane's eyes. Every time he had met with Bane, the drug dealer had always worn an evil, and quite formable, luchadore mask. It had seemed like child's play before, simply a cheap parlor trick to scare the masses, but now, surrounded by blood and darkness, De La Vega was terrified beyond all measure. The evil mask had made it so._

_"What would you have me do?" quivered De La Vega._

_"You will take the newest shipment of Venom to America and distributed about the city of Gotham."_

_"Gotham? Why Gotham?"_

_"The criminal justice system is flawed. Criminals rule the streets, making it easier to distribute the product." informed Bane, still pulsing with power. "You will go there, and do as I have commanded."_

_"And then what?"_

_"And then you will wait for my arrival."_

_"That's it?" asked De La Vega, a shake in his voice._

_"No. You will collect all the information you can on a so-called 'Batman'."_

_De La Vega was even more confused and scared than before._

_"Batman?" asked De La Vega. "What are you talking about Senor Bane?"_

_"No more questions, you idiot. Do as I have instructed! Go to Gotham and wait for my arrival! Soon, Gotham City will know the will of Bane!"_

_Maniacal laughter resounds about the back of the amphitheatre and De La Vega quickly realizes he is no longer the man in charge. Meanwhile, in the front, a vicious dog looms over its dead opponent, howling victorious. Two beasts had won the day, and the vile cretins of Santa Prisca cheered them on._

**_To Be Continued ..._**


End file.
